Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Gender inequality is an issue that prevails both in the Western and the non-Western worlds. Gender studies researchers are eager to develop a framework that would explain the systematic oppression of women globally. Some scholars find culture and religion to be contributing factors, thereby distinguishing between morally superior and inferior states. These researchers tend to believe that the culture of Muslim and African countries tends to be harmful and limiting to women. However, others argue that such an interpretation is dangerous as it leads to the cultural appropriation that divides women. Therefore, to understand more about the topic, it is essential to study the issues from various perspectives and find the connection of the discourse to other gender-related problems and theories.

In their book, Kristof and WuDunn (2009) explored whether Islam is representative of misogynistic views and beliefs. The authors argue that the Muslim religion and worldview are designed to empower females (Kristof & WuDunn, 2009). Historically, after Islam was introduced, women’s rights were primarily improved in the region, as the instances of female infanticide dropped significantly. Moreover, women started to be treated equally within the family and outside of it, as they were able to own property (Kristof & WuDunn, 2009). However, the Koran endorses certain aspects of gender-based discrimination, and various Muslim feminist scholars are advocating against many inequalities with their societies while still quoting the Koran.

Furthermore, the article by DasGupta (2012) criticizes the film Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women because various individuals misunderstood it, as the movie was often unethical. Some of the problems that DasGupta identified were a lack of representation of actual victims, but the focus was instead on the white male reporter and the actors. Thus, it ended up being used to turn women from the Western world against women from Islamic countries (DasGupta, 2012). The author believes that such rhetoric, when coming from the women from the Global North, symbolizes imperialism, misogyny, xenophobia, and racism that was projected on the way women look. The article by Molyneux (1985) examines the aftermath of the Nicaraguan revolution and its effects on women’s interests. The author notes that it is hard to determine the direct impact of the uprising on policymaking (Molyneux, 1985). Overall, the Sandinistas have certainly contributed to an appropriate representation of women’s interests, which brought in the improvement of women’s quality of living.

Lastly, in her article, Narayan (1998) argues that contemporary feminists reconsider the connection that gender and other minority groups have between each other as opposed to gender essentialism. The division is primarily based upon the idea that essentialists only consider a small number of women, which tend to be white, heterosexual, and middle class (Narayan, 1998). This one-sided approach is problematic because it leaves little space for women from minority groups to be heard inside and outside of the feminist community. This results in disproportional attention from the media outlets and lawmakers, giving little chance for different women to achieve their needs, leading to a division of Western and non-Western women within the movement.

Moreover, the idea of cultural essentialism is considered to be harmful to the feminist movement in general because it shifts the blame, making certain cultures responsible for sexism and discrimination. This approach of understanding sexism might be detrimental because men in the Western world are given the idea that there is no discrimination in their countries. After all, sexism is only a product of a non-Western region (Narayan, 1998). Moreover, this worldview is limiting the perception of misogyny. It does not take into consideration other factors that are involved in the issue, such as political background and history of the area.

I like that the topics of these readings are focused on the aspect of gender equality that many people choose to avoid. However, I did not favor that the texts were mostly representing the negative aspects of cultural essentialism, so the discussion felt less balanced. Before reading these materials, I was not aware of the negative consequences of evaluating gender-related issues from the perspective of culture. The movement that should be empowering females globally might be limiting and harmful to some parts of the world because of the misconceptions of different religious believes and community traditions. The developing world is changing, as the African continent is experiencing the aftermath of revolutions, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries are introducing reforms connected to gender rights. Therefore, it is crucial to differentiate between the religion, culture, and political structure of different parts of the world while evaluating gender inequalities in the region.

In conclusion, gender inequality has been subject to various interpretations and theories. Some consider religion and culture to influence the role that women have in certain societies, while others believe that such a worldview is harmful as it contributes to cultural essentialism. The former explains that colonialism leads to a misinterpretation of the actual causes of misogyny, racism, and other factors contributing to the systematic oppression of minority groups. Therefore, distinguishing between more and less superior cultures only leads to overall prejudice and intolerance.

References

DasGupta, S. (2012). . Racialicious.

Kristof, N. D., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide. Alfred A. Knopf.

Molyneux, M. (1985). Mobilization without emancipation? Women’s interests, the state, and revolution in Nicaragua. Feminist Studies, 11(2), 227-254. Web.

Narayan, U. (1998). . Hypatia, 13(2), 86–106.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, February 19). Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gender-inequality-on-the-influence-of-culture-and-religion/

Work Cited

"Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion." IvyPanda, 19 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/gender-inequality-on-the-influence-of-culture-and-religion/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion'. 19 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gender-inequality-on-the-influence-of-culture-and-religion/.

1. IvyPanda. "Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gender-inequality-on-the-influence-of-culture-and-religion/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Gender Inequality: On the Influence of Culture and Religion." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/gender-inequality-on-the-influence-of-culture-and-religion/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1